Central Oregon Bitterbrush Broads • Entered by Rynda Clark on June 10, 2022
Hike – Educational Hike with Scott Bowler – Steins Pillar
June 9, 2022
Participants and Hours
| Pre Planning hours | 3 |
| Post Admin hours | 2 |
| Activity Hours | 6 |
| Participants | 6 |
| Total Hours | 41 |
Key Issue: Public Lands Health & Protection
Activity Type: Education & Outreach (tabling, films & lectures, regional B-walks/works)
Landscape/area: Ochoco National Forest (854817 acres)
Measurable Outcomes
Outcome 1: Hiked (5 miles)
Short Description of Activity
Steins Pillar is a weird and wonderful 350’ tall tower of rhyolite tuff (related to the Smith Rocks cliffs) in the Ochoco NF, not too far from where Broads will be doing grazing impact monitoring this summer. The trail is good, and happens to havenice flowers along with several great views. It’s a pretty easy out and back 4 mile hike with about 700’ elevation gain/loss, and there’s some of both in each direction. There may be a little bit of side trail travel and/or scrambling to get the best views—such as into the nearby Mill Creek Wilderness.
Reflection/Evaluation
Scott taught us about native plants, mushroom, and other edibles along the trail. We learned about the volcanic geology of the area, as well as fossils from 30 million years ago when it was ocean there. We also discussed the pros/cons of the new Lemon Gulch Project, a plan to create recreational trails for bikers.
Photos/Uploads
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Photo Captions
Steins Pillar, Ochoco National Forest
Identifying native plants and edibles, Ochoco National Forest